Harkin Statement on HHS Inspector General Reports

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) released the following statement today on two reports issued by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding the verification of eligibility for coverage and financial help through the Marketplace.  Harkin is Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (the LHHS subcommittee). 

“It is no surprise to anyone that the first few months of the Marketplace rollout were rocky.  Since then, we have signed up eight million Americans—a genuine success, for which Congressional Republicans have no response aside from the same arguments they have offered since the Affordable Care Act was enacted into law.  That Congressional Republicans want to turn back the clock to a time when insurance companies, not families, made healthcare decisions should concern all Americans.  With the Administration already improving marketplace operations, now is the time to look ahead.  Marketplace open enrollment for 2015 begins in November, so we should focus on ways to get even more Americans covered by quality, affordable health care this fall.”

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